Last updated: 4th October, 2023
A few groups have asked CEA if we have recommendations about whether their group should have a code of conduct. Here are some recommendations.
1. For groups overall
We think it’s best to keep it simple, but to convey:
- What behavior you DO want to see, and
- Who to contact if there’s a problem.
In general we’d like groups to convey “organizers have a goal of keeping this group welcoming, and they will use their judgement as needed” rather than “anything is allowed if it’s not on this list of forbidden behaviors.”
a. Suggested wording for a pinned message
"We want this to be a friendly and welcoming group, and we ask for everyone's help in maintaining that. If you ever notice a problem or have ideas for things we could improve, please let us know! - [organizers' contact info]"
This could be used as a pinned message at the top of a Facebook group, in the description of a Meetup group, as a footer on an email list, etc.
2. Sample codes of conduct from EA groups
These are some EA groups that have more complete codes of conduct or similar policies:
- EA NYC's code of conduct. They've also written what they've done to improve their group's community health in 2022.
- EA UK's code of conduct and sexual harassment policy.
- EA Germany's code of conduct.
- EA Finland’s code of conduct.
3. For longer events
CEA uses a code of conduct for events like retreats and conferences where we want to be especially sure that people understand they can be asked to leave if they behave badly. We also think it’s a good idea to take more precautions for overnight events and events where alcohol is served.
Here's an example code of conduct from a CEA event. We based our code roughly on the TED code of conduct.
CEA's Community Health Team also wrote this resource on advice about community health for retreats and conferences. This might be useful for short events too.